By Callum Ludwig
Crews from the Badger Creek, Healesville and Hillcrest CFAs put out a burn-off that grew a bit too fierce by Healesville-Koo Wee Rup Road on Wednesday 18 January, but the incident ended up sparking different concerns.
With some CFA vehicles parked on the side of the 100-kilometre-per-hour road, the expectation was that drivers passing by would slow down to 40km/h to ensure the safety of brigade members on the scene.
Unfortunately, repeated near misses were reported back to Badger Creek CFA Captain Mike Thomas who was the incident controller, and police were required to enforce the speed reduction.
“We ended up with six appliances at the scene, three on the inside and three on the outside of the property. But we were getting messages on the radio saying that they were having near misses with cars coming in at 100 kilometres an hour,” he said.
“Where there are red and blue flashing lights working on or near roads, the speed limit is 40 kilometres an hour, and there were apparently cars not slowing down at all, it’s inviting disaster.”
Due to heavy rainfall through spring and the start of summer, CFA vehicles are often finding they cannot stray too far off-road as the ground on roadsides is currently a bit softer.
Mr Thomas said the situation improved after the police arrived but the rules are in place to protect them as well.
“Fighting a fire is dangerous in itself at times, and even though this one wasn’t particularly dangerous, there are always dangers involved, but we don’t expect to be facing dangers that can be avoided like the road,” he said.
“The road is possibly the most dangerous place we work on as firefighters, attending road accidents and things like that but cars coming in and 100 kilometres an hour shouldn’t be an issue to us.”
The rule states that motorists must not exceed 40km/h when passing a slow moving (no more than 10km’h) or stationary emergency vehicle and not increase their speed until a safe distance from the scene, which is relative to each incident. This does not apply to vehicles on the opposite side of a divided road (separated by a median strip) from an emergency or enforcement vehicle scene.
